


Please don't...

by Yleisnotonfire



Series: Sudden inspiration [6]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, Drama & Romance, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Inspired by Music, Inspired by Twitter, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage, Mentioned Lee Seokmin | DK, Pining, Secret Crush, best man!Jihoon, groom!soonyoung, other members are mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-28 08:51:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16238240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yleisnotonfire/pseuds/Yleisnotonfire
Summary: For someone, a wedding can be the best or the worst day of their life.Finding or losing a lover, a friend.Being next to someone you love isn't always easy.





	Please don't...

**Author's Note:**

> This au was inspired by one of @hoshizushi tweet and also by K.will iconic song "Please don't..." (if you don't know the song, go check it. It has the best plot twist in kpop history!) 
> 
> As always I edited this myself so it can have some mistakes as I'm not an English native speaker.  
> Hope you'll enjoy it!

This day came faster than expected and Jihoon still can’t believe that they’re here. 

After all the things they’ve been through in the years they’ve known each other, Soonyoung and Jihoon are in a church. At the altar to be more precise.

They are well dressed for the occasion.  
Jihoon has a black tuxedo while Soonyoung has a dark blue one. White shirt and black tie for Jihoon and a blue one for Soonyoung. Both their hair is neatly styled, their bangs parted almost at the middle. From the pocket of their tuxedos, a white calla lily with some shades of blue at its base pops up.

That same flower can be seen in the decorations that adorn the church. 

The aisles are full of bouquets of white calla lilies and pale pink peonies, tulle in that same colours embellishes those already elegant and refined compositions. 

A white carpet runs along the central nave, pink and red petals scattered on it. _‘Always walk on a flowery path,’_ they've said. And they really did that. The florist made a pretty path made of flowers. Not just calla lilies and peonies but every flower whose meaning could be a blessing for the couple.

The benches are adorned with tulle. On top of it, little parchments rolled up and tied with intertwined pink and white strings. Jihoon knew that the words _“My love for you is like the spark of an everlasting firework”_ were written on it. It was the same thing Soonyoung said when he proposed during the firework show that usually takes place in summer in their city.  
He still remembers how the other boy’s face lit up and reflected the colours of those fireworks.  
Reds, blues, purples coloured his face, they flashed in his already bright and (at least at that moment) expectant eyes. He was afraid of being rejected, afraid he was asking too soon to get married. However, he had nothing to worry about as his proposal was a huge success.

So here they are, standing next to each other, ready for the _big day_. 

Jihoon takes a quick look around to take notice of the guests who were slowly coming in and taking their seats.  
Everyone is dressed to impress. Long dresses, refined tuxedos, women with elaborately arranged hair, men with neckties and bow ties.

Little by little, the church starts getting crowded, bustle growing every time someone new enters the place and rushes to their seats, ready to take part in this big event. They call it _'big event'_ because no one expected that this day would have come this soon knowing how Soonyoung liked to take things slow.  
However, Jihoon knew that he was ready to take this big step. He wouldn’t have let go the opportunity to make the person he loves forever his.

Unconsciously, Jihoon’s eyes land on Soonyoung while he looked around to make sure that everything was to its place. 

Soonyoung is fidgeting on his spot, clearly nervous. It’s been hours since they’ve tried to make him relax and stay still but no one was able to succeed in this little task.  
He has been impatiently waiting for this day since the moment he decided he was going to propose.

From her seat, his mom is giving him a look as if she wants to scowl him and Jihoon takes it as his cue to intervene. He put his hand on Soonyoung’s forearm and squeeze it a bit to reassure him.   
Jihoon is about to drop his hand, sure he has done his job when Soonyoung puts his hand on Jihoon’s and looks at him in the eyes.  
Soonyoung smiles and regains his composure, finally staying still. Jihoon returns his smile and slips his hand out of his grip.  
He motions Soonyoung to get closer and lower himself so that he can whisper into his ear.

 

**_“Don’t worry, everything is going to be perfect.”_ **

 

Soonyoung looks at Jihoon again and now it’s his time to whisper something so that nobody could hear them. 

 

**_“That’s because you’re here by my side. Having you is all I could ask for on the second most important day of my life.”_** He looks at Jihoon and smiles before adding _**“Second because the first one was the day I’ve met you and I couldn’t be more grateful for that. However, you already know this.”**_

 

Jihoon doesn’t even get to answer him as the wedding march starts playing from the wooden and golden pipe organ placed behind the altar. 

 

Yes, he, Lee Jihoon, is here on this big day as the best man for Soonyoung’s wedding. 

The _best_ day of Soonyoung’s life and the _worst_ day of Jihoon’s life. 

 

The big and heavy doors at the end of the central nave open, revealing the prettiest bride everyone has ever seen. 

She stands there, the body of a model and the face of an angel whose smile could almost outshine the Sun. Her long white dress was decorated with pale pink lace. It fitted her body, highlighting her curves. 

Jihoon looks at her and then he looks at Soonyoung. 

Soonyoung’s smile is so _wide and bright_.  
Anyone could tell that he was looking at the woman of his life, he was looking directly at his happiness. After all, this is all Soonyoung ever wanted since he was a little child: marrying the girl of his dreams. And she _really_ is that girl. 

She’s wonderful, kind, shares the same sense of humour as him, she takes care of him and she is the only one, apart from Jihoon, that can tame the wild hamster Soonyoung is. 

The bride slowly starts walking. 

Jihoon notices how she is slightly shaking, sharing the same kind of excitement Soonyoung was showing a while ago.  
Her smile reflects the one Soonyoung is giving her, eyes glowing of the same light of the groom’s. They’re basically are one the reflection of the other.

 

_ ‘They really are a match made in heaven.’ _

 

Soonyoung looks at Jihoon and the best man tries his best to give him a smile that shows that he is almost as excited as him. 

However, the truth is that Jihoon feels nauseous and all he wants is to _run away_. 

Jihoon wants to take Soonyoung’s damned hand and run away with him but he can’t. 

Why? Because Jihoon may be madly, deeply in love with Soonyoung, but he isn’t.   
He sees Jihoon as his best friend and now as his best man.  
Soonyoung loves Jihoon but not in the same way Jihoon loves him, at least _not anymore_. 

 

The bride arrives at the altar. Her father fixes her voile and gives her a quick peck on her forehead before giving her hand to Soonyoung who quickly takes it, helping the bride to climb up the little step in front of her. It was as if the last obstacle to their union had been finally overcome. 

It was that last step the one that pushed Jihoon farther away from Soonyoung and he can do nothing but stare.  
Stare at how their hands perfectly fit with the others; at how their eyes couldn’t seem to be able to leave the others.

For a moment, it was like only the two of them existed. 

They were in their own little world and it _hurts_. 

It hurts because once that look was for Jihoon. 

Soonyoung used to look at Jihoon like that all the time. It was as if Jihoon was _the only one worth looking at_ ; as if he was the only one who mattered. 

Soonyoung treasured him a lot since the day they’ve met.

They had met by accident, or so Jihoon thought.

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

They were in elementary school and Jihoon was resting under the shadow of a big tree in the garden of their school. He liked that place because other kids would always play around in the playground but he didn’t like to play. Jihoon wasn’t a kid who liked to move around, he liked to lay there and rest. 

That was until, one day, while he was resting under his tree, something fell on his head. He had looked around and seen a little hazelnut near where his head was a while ago but no one was in sight. He shrugged his shoulders and had laid again on the grass. After a while, another hazelnut fell on his head. This time, a little snicker betrayed the culprit. Jihoon looked up and saw a little boy on one of the branches of the tree. 

_**“I see you there! Come down before I climb up and kick you!”** _ And  Jihoon meant that. 

**_“Wouldn’t you fall if you kicked me up here?”_** The boy looked at him and smiled.  
His puffy cheeks lifted together with the corners of his mouth making those slanted small eyes even smaller.

**_“You would be surprised at the things I can do!”_** Jihoon had answered, standing up and head still lifted up. 

**_“Okay, I’ll come down!”_** The boy jumped and landed on his feet.  
He did a weird pose as if he was some kind of superhero who had just jumped from the roof of a very high building (the branch wasn’t that high but he never told Soonyoung because he thought he made a very cool entrance).  
While staying in that same pose, the boy had lifted his head and said _**“I am Hoshi, I may look like a hamster but I am the one who has the power of fire! However, you seem a cool and trustworthy kid, so I’ll let you know my real identity.”**_ He stood up and with a serious expression he said **_“My name’s Kwon Soonyoung.”_**

Jihoon had looked at him for a moment without speaking.  
He decided to play along with the boy as he was kind of endearing. **_“Well, I hold no power and I have no secret identity but, as you said, I am cool and reliable. My name’s Lee Jihoon.”_**

Soonyoung had smiled at him and stepped forward, taking Jihoon’s hand in his. **_“Jihoon...that name sounds just like the name of my new friend!”_** Soonyoung had said and Jihoon could only blink in surprise. He had talked with his classmates and other kids but it was rare that someone would’ve wanted to befriend him. 

Maybe Soonyoung was the first one who wanted that and that’s why Jihoon found himself asking _**“Your new friend?”** _

**_“Yes, I want you to be my friend Jihoon! I want to play with you and eat with you at lunch! We can even go to the playground together after school and study together! I would really like to do all of that with you!”_** Soonyoung said never leaving Jihoon hand, or better he started squeezing it, excited at the perspective of all the things they could do if they got to be friends. 

**_“But why me? There are a lot of other kids in the school.”_** Jihoon had asked while looking at the ground. 

_**“You’re right. There are a lot of kids but no one is as cute as you, Jihoon.”**_   Jihoon had blushed. Soonyoung had been so straightforward from a very young age and had never failed to make him blush. _**“See? You’re even cuter now that you’re blushing! Aww, Jihoonie! Oh, wait! I got it!”**_ Soonyoung had said it so suddenly that Jihoon looked at him with curiosity written on his face and asked 

**_“You’ve got what?”_**

Soonyoung had left his hand and weirdly posed again, thumb and forefinger around his chin as to make a kind of V sign. **_“Your secret identity! Your name can be Woozi and your power is to kill everyone with your cuteness!”_** Soonyoung had rushed over to Jihoon and pinched his cheeks as to emphasise what he had just said _**“Look at you, you have already killed me!”**_

Jihoon may have rolled his eyes (the first of a long series) but he was so happy to have finally found a _friend_. 

 

 

From that day on, Hoshi and Woozi stuck together for a really long time. 

Jihoon was there for Soonyoung and viceversa when they enrolled for middle school and high school; when Jihoon came out as gay the same day Soonyoung came out as bisexual; when they both found out their passion for music, they had worked together on a lot of duos, the name Hoshi and Woozi still with them after all those years.

Eventually, they got separated when they enrolled for college. Jihoon went towards the path of composing and producing the music they both loved but Soonyoung hadn’t the same luck. He had to do what their parents told him to do and so he ended up studying business.  
Even if they couldn’t see each other as much as they did before, they still managed to meet up during the weekends and at some parties thrown by some of their new friends. Jihoon had introduced Soonyoung to his small circle of friends and he seemed to immediately click with them and so did Jihoon with Soonyoung’s friends. They were so happy because this way they could have hung out together without having to neglect the others, they had started seeing each other even more. They had started studying together again and sometimes they even slept over the other’s dorm.

Their friends had labelled them as the _‘married couple’_ of their group and that’s because of Soonyoung.  
He was so clingy to Jihoon, sticking with him almost everywhere he went when they got out. He showed him off to everyone he met, saying things like _“every song our Jihoonie makes is a masterpiece”_ , _“Jihoonie could do this even with his eyes closed”_. Jihoonie this, Jihoonie that, _Jihoonie, Jihoonie, Jihoonie_.  
He tried to do skinship with Jihoon by putting his arm around his shoulders, by giving him pecks on his cheek, by hugging him but Jihoon rarely allowed any of that. He stopped Soonyoung by twisting his arms or by ducking. Between his friends he gained the title of _‘tsundere’_ because even if he avoided skinship, rolled his eyes at whatever Soonyoung said, everyone could notice the way he looked at his friend. Jihoon's eyes were full of fondness and love for that hamster of his. His friends teased him because of this saying that soon he would’ve found out that the love he felt for Soonyoung was actually something more.  
At first, he denied it, saying he couldn’t think romantically of the boy who he grew together with. He knew too many embarrassing things about the other to think of him that way.

However, his friends were right. 

Day by day, he started seeing Soonyoung in a different light. One day he wanted to be closer to him, the following week he felt the desire of kissing him, and the week after that he wanted to touch him, with both sweetness and lust for his body.   
Jihoon started seeing what once was his childhood puffy friend as a fine man. He was taller than him (Soonyoung teased him about the fact that he wasn’t the tall one but, instead, it was Jihoon the one who stopped growing in middle school), slim but fit thanks to the hours spent dancing when he had a free day from his studies, his gaze more intense, his silver dyed hair brought out the colour of his skin.  
He was really handsome but his still puffy cheeks left some cuteness in him that reminded Jihoon of the boy who threw hazelnuts at him to befriend him.

Jihoon started feeling something different from what he usually felt for his friend until he realised he was in love. 

_Woozi had fallen in love with Hoshi_ , his partner in crime. 

 

Since that awakening, Jihoon was more aware of the things Soonyoung did for him.   
He was more aware of the little skinship they did. He felt more nervous around the person he has been the most comfortable with up to that moment.  
He couldn’t even understand himself as if his body acted on his own with his stomach full of flying butterflies whenever Soonyoung was close to him or with his heart racing and thumping loud whenever they were left alone.

Jihoon was scared. Scared that things could’ve changed.   
Nothing good ever happens when someone finds out to be in love with their best friends.  
He heard of a lot of people in the same situation as his: the air between the two friends gets awkward until one of the two confesses; the other would reject because he doesn’t want to ruin their friendship; they promise each other not to change and still be friends; eventually, they grow apart as they can’t get back to what they used to be.

Jihoon was scared of that. He didn’t want to lose Soonyoung. He was his best friend, his best supporter, his best brother. He simply was the best he could’ve asked for and he couldn’t risk throwing it all away because of some stupid feelings that got in the way.  
That’s why he decided to hide them.

However, Jihoon couldn’t not notice the way Soonyoung treated him. It was different from the way he treated the others.  
Soonyoung always took care of him in all the possible ways. He always made sure to make Jihoon laugh during the time they spent together and Jihoon knew it was because his friend had seen him cry too many times when they grew up together. Soonyoung had this look in his eyes when he looked at Jihoon, as if there wasn’t anybody else around them, as if Jihoon was worth all of his attention. Jihoon had always blushed under that look and tried to hide it by showing Soonyoung’s head away.

Soonyoung had always wanted to protect him, to spare him all the suffering he could get from this wicked world but little did he know _he_ would be the cause of all the pain Jihoon felt for the last _three years_. 

  
  


 

After a long time spent pondering if he should confess or not, Jihoon had come to the conclusion that he had to do it. He had reached the point where he couldn’t hide his feelings anymore. He was starting to get more obvious as his friends started teasing him more and more.  
At least, if things went wrong, he could try to still be his friend. Jihoon would’ve put his feelings away in order not to lose Soonyoung.

It was the period of midterms exams when he came to that conclusion, so he decided to talk to Soonyoung at the end of this stressful period.   
Jihoon knew better than adding more stress to both of them, risking to make their grades awfully drop in case something went wrong.They didn't need that.  


So a week and a half had passed without them meeting because they both had to study hard.   
When they called each other to know how it went, they decided to meet and celebrate, like they always did, with a movie night.  
Soonyoung had invited Jihoon over to his dorm as his roommate was out for the night as he had to go to some party. He told Jihoon to bring his pyjamas as he could sleep there too. _‘There’s enough room for the two of us on my bed, you know,’_ Soonyoung had said him over the phone and Jihoon was glad Soonyoung couldn't see his cheeks reddening as some racy thoughts crept into his mind. 

That night, Jihoon had stuffed his backpack with all the things he needed and he also had mustered some courage as that was the night when things between Hoshi and Woozi could change _for the better or for the worse_. 

 

The movie had ended like the popcorn and chips which were in the now empty bowls propped on their stomachs.   
Soonyoung was already yawning and before they went to sleep, he had to do it. He had to confess.  
Jihoon turned around to face Soonyoung when they both called out each other’s names.

_**“You go first,”**_ Jihoon had said noticing the excitement in the other’s eyes _**“Looks like it is really important.”**_

 

_**“Jihoonie, I wanted to tell you this before but I’ve figured I should’ve told you face**_ _ **to face as we’re best friends since we were two tiny kids.”**_ Soonyoung was fidgeting on his spot like he always did when he was nervous about something. 

 

Jihoon grew anxious and he somewhat hoped that what Soonyoung was about to tell him was the same thing he was planning to say.  
He was hoping that things could change for the better, that their relationship could only improve and take the next step.

 

However, his hopes were _crushed_. 

 

_**“I met a girl in the library while I was studying for the midterms. We started getting to know each other a little bit and I think I really like her. I have already asked her out and she said yes.”** _

 

Soonyoung was beaming but Jihoon felt everything shuttering inside of him.  
His heart stopped for a moment and he felt tears pricking at his eyes but he couldn’t shed them. Not in front of him.

Jihoon, then, faked a smile and without betraying his real emotions he said _**“Oh God, Soonyoung. Finally! I’m so happy for you! I was just about to tell you that I wanted to introduce you to one of my friends but I guess it’s useless now.”**_ Jihoon had lied for his own good. He couldn’t tell him about his feelings, not anymore.  

 

At those words, Soonyoung looked even happier. Jihoon’s heart clenched because he knew Soonyoung cared for his approval, probably even more than the one from his parents. 

Soonyoung scooted closer to Jihoon on the couch they were seating on and took his hands. _**“You’re going to like her, I’m sure about that!”**_ and like that he hugged Jihoon. The latter patted his back, trying so hard not to cry and feeling a little bit pushed away from Soonyoung. 

  
  


 

 

 

The second and maybe the strongest of the two pushes came after two years. 

 

For so long Jihoon tried to get over Soonyoung. 

He had met the girl and she really looked like the ideal type Soonyoung had always described as his ideal partner. He was so happy with her and so he had to be happy too. He couldn’t let down his best friend. 

Jihoon tried to get along with her, to befriend her, but jealousy got in the way.  
Every time he saw the two of them together, he couldn’t help but think of when those hands held his, those eyes looked only at him, those bright smiles were only for him. All of the things once were _his_ , now belonged to someone else. This person _stole his place_ in Soonyoung’s heart and Jihoon was in pain because of this, that’s why he had to move on. 

 

He had tried everything. 

He avoided Soonyoung for a while, but the boy came to him asking if there was something wrong. Jihoon lied that everything was okay and that he just got busier with school. 

He tried to find someone else to love as they say that fire fights fire.   
He met a lot of new people, went out on countless dates but he always found himself comparing them to Soonyoung. Moreover, said boy would become overprotective and send away all of them. Those were the moments Jihoon wanted to _scream_. He wanted to yell at his friend, asking him why he cared about who he dated and why he sent them away when all he wanted to do was to forget that his loved one had already someone else to give his love to.  
However, Jihoon never did that. He kept suffering in silence. _Every stab to his heart hidden with a smile_.  
In the end, bottling things up was never the right thing to do. Things keep happening, Jihoon keeps staying silent, he keeps trying until the bottle got so full that it exploded.

And it exploded at the worst moment. 

 

 

 

_**“My love for you is like a spark of an everlasting firework. Will you marry me and make this love shine even more than these fireworks?”** _

Soonyoung was on his knee, asking her to marry him. 

Jihoon knew this would have happened.  
Soonyoung told him yesterday that he was ready for the next step, to make it official. He wanted her to be his before she could slip away.

 

Jihoon had imagined how it would have been if Soonyoung had proposed to him instead.  
Jihoon knew that everything would have been different.

He imagined himself on the beach walking with Soonyoung, hand in hand, fingers intertwined.   
When the sun was setting, they would’ve stopped walking, laying a blanket on the sand and sitting there looking at the sun slowly kissing the sea at the horizon.  
Before the sun could be engulfed by that salty kiss, Soonyoung would’ve turned to him, velvet box in his hand, looking directly into his eyes and asked him to stay with him for a little longer with him as a best friend and as a lover.  
Jihoon would have immediately said yes and kissed him until the moon came up, together with her court of stars, to watch over them, to witness their promise to love each other until the end of their days.

 

Jihoon was brought back to reality when a hand waved in front of him. His eyes regained focus and noticed that the hand belonged to Soonyoung. 

 

**_“You were spacing out,”_** Soonyoung said, looking a little bit worried. _**“Are you okay? I told her to go home first as I wanted to check on you. I think you might have missed**_ _ **the sight of me proposing to her.”**_

 

_**“Don’t worry. I was just thinking. And I was watching! You were so confident while proposing.”**_ Jihoon lifted his head to look at Soonyoung. 

 

_**“Really? I thought I was going to puke due to the anxiety. I was worried she would’ve rejected me!”**_ Soonyoung breath was short almost as if he ran for three kilometres without stopping to take air. 

 

_**“I bet you were but she would’ve been blind and stupid if she had rejected you,”**_ Jihoon deadpanned. 

 

_**“You say that just because you are my best friend.”**_ Soonyoung snickered and put his arm around Jihoon shoulders. 

 

_**“No, I mean that and you know it. You really are the guy every person dreams to marry. You’re handsome, smart, you can dance, cook, do the chores, you can make everyone happy, you’re caring, the only flaw is that you are clingy and embarrass yourself a lot but she seems to like it, especially you being clingy.”**_ Jihoon says without even noticing the amount of things he listed about Soonyoung.  
However, this is what he really thought and this is what made him fall in love with _his Hoshi_. 

 

_**“You like it too when I cling to you, I know it because you always smirk when I hug you and you pretend you’re annoyed!”**_ Soonyoung poked Jihoon’s cheek as to say that he had caught him. 

 

_**“I won’t admit that even if I was being tortured and saying that would make me a free man.”**_ Jihoon put the most serious look on his face. 

 

_**“Hey, you’re hurting my pride,”**_ Soonyoung whined and they both started laughing. 

 

It was at that moment Jihoon felt the urge to do it.   
He needed to tell him.  
It was the only way to get over it. He pulled Soonyoung’s arm off of his shoulders and faced him.

 

_**“Soonyoung, I need to tell you something.”**_ Jihoon took a step closer to his friend and this time it was him the one who took the other’s hand before talking. _**“I know the timing is inappropriate as you’ve just proposed but I really need to tell you this.”**_

 

_**“What is it, Jihoonie?”**_ Soonyoung looked at his hand in Jihoon’s hands. 

 

_**“I-I like you. As something more than a friend or of a best friend. I like you, romantically.”**_ Jihoon sighs and his shoulders went slump as if a huge weight had been lifted from them. _**“I already know the answer, you don’t need to tell me, but I thought you should know. It started when we were still in college and I had planned to tell you. However, the day I decided to confess, was the day you told me you asked her to go out with you for the first time. I tried to get over you in so many ways but I couldn’t. I’ve just figured out that maybe I needed to tell you so that I could move on. In this way, you can be happy and I can start trying being happy too. Maybe I’ll find someone like you have found her,”**_ Jihoon had said all of that without looking at Soonyoung, not even for a second. His eyes were focused on their hands. He was playing with Soonyoung’s fingers and the white gold band at his ring finger. 

 

_**“Jihoon, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”**_ Jihoon’s head perked up at that. _**“Why did you have to hide it?”**_ Soonyoung was looking at him, something was off with his gaze. 

 

_**“What do you mean?”**_ This is all Jihoon could manage to ask. 

 

_**“I mean that if you had told me sooner, things could have been different.”**_ Now, Soonyoung is the one fidgeting with Jihoon’s fingers. _**“I had a huge crush on you since we were in high school. I really, really liked you. However, I was afraid of ruining our friendship as you seemed not to be interested in me that way. So I kept everything hidden and planned to tell you when I had enough courage to take the risk of losing you. I was about to do that when we got into college. The fact that we barely got to see each other the first days, made me realise I need to do something as I couldn’t seem to function without you. But I got even more scared to do that because I thought you liked someone else. You know, your eyes brightened every time Seokmin entered the room we were in. That’s when I decided it was time for me to stop getting in the way and, after some time, I met her. At first, I liked her because she reminded me of you in so many ways, but now I like her because of who she really is and not because the part of you I saw in her. It hurts to tell you this, but I got over you. I love her now and you know that.”**_ Soonyoung squeezed Jihoon’s hands and then let them go. 

 

Jihoon stood there, frozen.   
Soonyoung had loved him too and he wished he _never_ knew that. He wished he never told him that because now he hates himself even more.  
He had the possibility of making his dreams, his desires come true but he was too blind to notice their feelings. To notice that _he was already in love_ with Soonyoung and that those feelings _were actually returned_.  
How stupid he has been? He was a fool, a complete fool. He wasted too much time and ended up losing a lot. Too caught up in his feelings to notice that someone else shared those same feelings and _that someone_ was the _one_ he wanted to be loved by. 

 

_**“I know, I have already told you that. So don’t worry, I’ll get over you but please don’t go away. Don’t push me away and let me stay by your side as your best friend. You’re too precious and I don't want to lose you,”**_ Jihoon had said, tears now streaming down of his face. 

 

Soonyoung took in his arms and engulfed him in his embrace. _**“Of course I want you by my side. I won’t ever let you go. You’re still the Woozi to my Hoshi and this will never change. So please don’t cry. It hurts me seeing you like this.”**_

 

Jihoon was close to Soonyoung, he was in his arms, _so why he felt so far away from him_?

 

Little by little Jihoon stopped crying and sobbing. Soonyoung let him go and wiped away the tears from his cheeks. _**“Jihoonie, I know it may be selfish of me to ask you that, but I wish you could be my best man on the day of the wedding.”**_

 

Jihoon looked at Soonyoung. The boy had the same look on his face as when he was waiting for her to be rejected. Afraid of hearing a “no” as an answer but in this case, Soonyoung would’ve understood. Jihoon knew it, he knew he could’ve said no. 

 

_**“I’ll do it. I’ll be your man, your best man, the bestest you ever had.”**_ Jihoon said without hesitation. Soonyoung didn’t jump around, he knew it was not the case to do that.  
He simply put his hand on Jihoon’s shoulder and said _**“Thanks.”**_

Jihoon was _dying_ on the inside, he felt Soonyoung’s hand burn on his skin even over his shirt and he just wanted to lay there and cry, cry until no tear was left to cry, cry until he passed out.  
However, he put his hand over Soonyoung’s, forced the best smile he could and said _**“No, thank you.”**_

 

 

 

* * *

  
  


 

 

So here he his, on the altar watching his best friend, who once had loved him, marrying someone else. 

Jihoon is sure that she will wonderfully treat him, that she will make him happy, that she will love him.   
However, a part of him still screamed that he could love Soonyoung more than she does and could ever do.  
This part of him almost took over him when the priest had said the famous quote that, in a lot of movies, would’ve put an end to the marriage. 

**_“And if there be any among you who may imagine some impediments_ _as_ ** **_to why they should not be married, let them now speak out, or forever hold their tongue.”_ **  

Jihoon has a lot of reasons as to why they should not marry. He has a lot of things to say. 

_ ‘Please don’t do it, I know there’s a part of you who still loves me.’ _

_ ‘Please don’t go, love me again’ _

_ ‘Please don’t take her hand, take mine and let’s run away.’  _

However, Jihoon knows that Soonyoung doesn’t deserve any of this.  
He deserves to be happy with the person he loves and so he stays silent. Heart aching to be freed from that unbearable pain.

 

Taking the silcence as an agreement to hold their tongues, the priest turns towards the bride and the groom telling them the things they need to say to each other and to do in order to exchange their vows. 

They’re now facing each other. 

Jihoon watches as Soonyoung takes her hand again, says his vows out loud for everyone to hear and then slide the ring to her finger, sealing the promises he had just made. She does the exact same thing. 

 

_**“The groom may now kiss the bride,”**_ the priest had announced. Cheers erupted from the guests as Soonyoung brings her close to him, kissing her and smiling into that kiss. 

 

Before walking down on the aisle to go out where a rain of confetti waited the newly married couple to greet them, Soonyoung looks at Jihoon.  
He smiles and he really looks like the happiest man on Earth.

 

_ ‘Please don’t smile like that, you’re killing me even more.’  _

 

Jihoon wishes to be the reason for that smile, wishes to walk down that aisle hand in hand with Soonyoung.   
However, all he could do was to return that smile and give him the thumbs up.  
After that, she takes his hand and they walk away.

 

Soonyoung getting even farther away from him. 

 

As he looked at their backs, Jihoon still hoped that someday Soonyoung would’ve realised he’s still in love with him and come back to him. 

Jihoon could be selfish but he thought that Woozi was nothing without his Hoshi. He was empty without him and that he needed him in his life as something more than a friend. But they’re not each other’s happy ending, not in this life.  
Maybe they will have their happily ever after in another life. Maybe they will met again.

_ A boy laying on the grass in the shadow of a big tree and a puffy-cheeked boy throwing hazelnuts and posing like a weird superhero. _

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed it, leave kudos and comments! I like to see how you guys react and, moreover, it helps me improve my writing!
> 
> If you want to talk about the fic or be updated for my next work, you can find me on twitter! (@Yleisnotonfire1)
> 
> Thank you so much for spending your time reading this! <3 <3


End file.
